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If Shěn Táng could have inner thoughts at this moment, it would probably only be a standard scream while clutching her head to express her feelings.
Why didn't they give her a guaranteed identity when she transmigrated?
Table flip! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
It was bad enough that she wasn't given the original owner's memories, but she also kept running into people related to the original owner every now and then. First there was Tián Shǒu Yì's mistaken "niece-in-law," and now Gōng Chěng's astonishing "wife's elder brother." If it were someone else, they might have already been led astray by these two.
Shěn Táng clenched her fists, her masseter muscles taut, her expression so dark it looked like it could drip water. To an outsider, this was the outward manifestation of her suppressed, boiling anger, and all this anger was caused solely by Gōng Yún Chí. The courtesan, seeing this, stepped forward obliquely. He physically separated Shěn Táng and Gōng Chěng. Turning his head, he asked, "Brother Yún Chí, is this your wife's elder brother?"
He knew that on the day of Gōng Chěng's wedding, his entire clan met with disaster, being exiled and banished, and their women forced into teaching facilities (Jiào Fāng). This naturally included the new bride who hadn't even completed the three bows. It was rumored that the Shěn clan, from which the new bride came, was even more unlucky, ordered by Zhèng Qiáo to be exterminated (Yí Jiǔ Zú), with hundreds of family members staining the execution block red.
Gōng Chěng replied, "It should be."
Shěn Táng's voice suddenly rose. "Gōng Yún Chí, what do you mean by 'it should be'?" She was almost exasperated into laughter by this "big brother." Didn't he even know how many people were in the family of the new bride he was about to marry? Even for an arranged marriage, he was far too careless!
Shěn Táng had no intention of reprimanding him, but her words, though unintended, were taken the wrong way by Gōng Chěng. Gōng Chěng thought every word Shěn Táng said was a sarcastic question, practically asking him—[The Shěn clan suffered a great disaster and was exterminated, while the Gōng clan was merely exiled. Now, the relationship between the two families is merely an "should be" in his mouth. Does he not acknowledge this relative?]
Thus, Gōng Chěng was filled with shame. His barely steady body swayed drastically, almost falling. The young man and the courtesan, quick-witted, reached out and supported him from left and right. The relatively large movement still pulled open his wound, and fresh blood soaked through the bandages.
The courtesan urged him anxiously, "Brother Yún Chí, calm down!"
The young man: "Adding injury to injury, even a divine healer wouldn't be able to save your life. Whatever it is, you can say it slowly."
Shěn Táng, without a script or memories: "..."
Because the damnable plot development wasn't following the script, she could only rely on acting, bluffing and guessing, playing it by ear. The quick-witted xiǎo sī had already led the Zhǎng Guì out earlier. After clearing the room, only Shěn Táng and the other three remained inside. Now, they could speak freely.
She scoffed, her right hand behind her back: "Gōng Chěng, considering your injuries, I won't fuss over the minor details." Her mind turned, and her acting skills came online. Gōng Chěng was currently the person who best understood the original owner's identity. As someone who had personally experienced his family's property being confiscated and his clan being exterminated, he knew more detailed and reliable information than Qí Shàn's gossip. Shěn Táng planned to bluff him, at least to figure out exactly who the original owner of her body was and what their status was. Perhaps she could learn some secrets from Gōng Chěng.
"Thank you, wife's elder brother." Gōng Chěng's pale face improved slightly upon hearing Shěn Táng's words. He sat down exhausted on the floor cushion, cupping his hands in salute towards Shěn Táng.
Shěn Táng didn't fall for it, her attitude still cold: "Since you call me 'wife's elder brother,' then I ask you, where is she?" The "she" was to be understood. Shěn Táng's teeth ached at the address "wife's elder brother."
Gōng Chěng's recently improved complexion turned ashen again. He was about to speak when the courtesan at his side said, "Mr. Gu and I rescued Brother Yún Chí, and at his request, we immediately sent someone to that Jiào Fāng to look for your younger sister-in-law. However, we arrived late, and she was not among that group of female relatives. It was said that..."
"That person perished on the road of exile." The young man completed the courtesan's sentence, adding, "More than a month of walking in shackles, this is a near-death experience even for an ordinary able-bodied man, let alone a frail woman not yet of marriageable age..." Exile involved not only walking in shackles, shortages of food and water, and wild beasts and insects, but also the escorts of the prisoners. The survival rate for female prisoners was far lower than for male prisoners. Death en route was to be expected.
"So, I was being unreasonable then?" Shěn Táng used the pause in the previous emotional shift to deliberately stand with her hands behind her back, facing away from the three, to avoid any flaws in her facial expressions betraying her. Only her back, the slight tremor in her shoulders, and the rise and fall of her shoulder blades from several deep breaths revealed her emotional changes. Acting truly requires strong conviction!
The courtesan couldn't help but interject, "The Shěn clan was ordered by Zhèng Qiáo to be exterminated. What does this have to do with Brother Yún Chí?" He was just short of saying Shěn Táng "was being unreasonable." Shěn Táng's words to Gōng Yún Chí were all barbed, and even he, as an audience member, found them jarring. The young man, however, remained silent.
Shěn Táng coldly retorted, "Are you a party to this matter?"
The courtesan was rendered speechless.
Gōng Chěng also whispered to stop him, saying with shame, "Wēng Zhī, this matter, while not directly related to me, does concern the Gōng clan..."
Shěn Táng closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind, forcing herself not to think, not to analyze. Having a mind-reader was simply too annoying.
The courtesan, fulfilling Shěn Táng's unspoken wish, pressed, "Is that true?"
Gōng Chěng: "Yes, otherwise, why would the wedding have been so rushed?"
The mystery in Shěn Táng's mind gradually cleared up with these few exchanges. She took a gamble and bluffed: "If there was no connection, have you ever seen a noble lady from an aristocratic family marry before her marriageable age? So young, what's the point of marrying her off? To be a child bride?"
The courtesan was choked into silence. This question was truly... The new bride was indeed too young. He inquired with his eyes to Gōng Chěng, who explained in a low voice: "Back then, Zhèng Qiáo wished to return to his country. My father outwardly supported him, making him relax, while secretly contacting court officials, among whom was my father-in-law, Lord Shěn. Lord Shěn and my father conspired. My father was in the former court, and Lord Shěn used his hidden contacts in the Imperial Harem to collaborate with Chǔ Jī, who was then highly favored, preparing to eliminate Zhèng Qiáo from within and without. Who knew it would all fall apart? Not only did Chǔ Jī and her son perish unjustly, but the news also leaked out..."
Chǔ Jī, five months pregnant, was framed and died of a miscarriage. Her former state was also annihilated by the enraged ruler of the Xīn Kingdom, who sent troops to conquer it. As for the maids and servants who accompanied Chǔ Jī to Xīn Kingdom, and the retainers and retainers who managed her properties, a total of over two hundred people, they were all demoted to slaves and freely bought and sold. Zhèng Qiáo was a vengeful man; if Chǔ Jī met such a fate, how could he spare the Shěn clan, who were deeply involved in this matter?
The young man had doubts. "If that's the case, the Shěn clan merely assisted and were not the main conspirators, so why did they suffer the fate of complete extermination?" After all, the main conspirator was the Gōng clan, not the Shěn clan.
Gōng Chěng shook his head: "That much is unclear." If not for his father's repeated persuasion, his father-in-law, Lord Shěn, who was usually low-key and moderate, would not have stepped forward, nor would he have provoked Zhèng Qiáo and brought about the calamity of clan extermination. When he learned that Zhèng Qiáo was leading troops back, his father knew things were bad and consulted with Lord Shěn, planning to marry the eldest daughter of the Shěn clan. His father was not implicated; ostensibly, he was still Zhèng Qiáo's "benefactor." If Zhèng Qiáo sought revenge on the Shěn clan, at least a shred of their bloodline could be preserved.
Who knew—
Zhèng Qiáo simply didn't play by the rules.
Chǔ Jī is the small princess mentioned earlier, who married into the Xīn Kingdom's imperial harem and died five months into her pregnancy.
Old Mr. Chǔ was one of the talents she brought from her country, an innocent bystand caught in the crossfire.
The young man's surname is Gù, chaotic neutral with a chaotic evil facade.
The courtesan, courtesy name Wēng Zhī, identity temporarily kept secret.
Gōng Chěng, courtesy name Yún Chí, a disciple of the Gōng clan whose property was confiscated and who was exiled.
Shěn Táng's current body's information indicates she is from the Shěn clan.
PS: The current plot information generally states that the patriarchs of the Gōng and Shěn clans conspired with Chǔ Jī to kill Zhèng Qiáo, but Zhèng Qiáo made an ultimate counter-attack and successfully escaped back to his country. After five years of recuperation, he led his troops to destroy the Xīn Kingdom. The Shěn clan was betrayed and retaliated against by Zhèng Qiáo, leading to their extermination.
The Xīn Kingdom's royal family also shares the surname Shěn, but it's not the same Shěn clan as mentioned above.